take apart
verb› Used other than figuratively or idiomatically…
1
To dismantle something into its component pieces.
- I carefully took the clock mechanism apart to clean it.
2
To move someone away from others to be able to talk to, or give them something in private.
- ....then went close up to him, and took him apart into a dark corner. "I say," he began, with a thoughtful brow, "haven't I seen you before1868, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge:
3
Informal To soundly defeat someone, or a (sport) team.
- And besides, I was also enjoying the way you took them apart. You know, arguing with them like you did.2001, by Orson Scott Card, Shadow of the Hegemon, page 143:
- Argentine defender Martinez, normally so reliable and combative, was taken apart, especially when Salah led him a merry dance to set up Gakpo to settle the game with Liverpool's third five minutes after half-time.2023 March 5, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport:
4
to criticise someone
- For nearly an hour, I took them apart for failing to understand, connect with, empathize with, and listen to the American people.?2007, Frank Luntz, Words That Work, page 150: